The Fourth Musketeer
by thewritershand
Summary: Missy's return causes one problem for Carly, two for Freddie, and three for Sam. Friendships crumble, feelings change, and in it all two come together in spite of insurmountable differences. Seddie? Read on.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note_:

Greetings! As a writer and reader, I'm not particularly fond of lengthy author's notes - I'll make my introduction brief and state what is important. This tale explores the return of Missy following her departure on the School at Sea trip portrayed in_ iReunite With Missy_. For all intents and purposes, all canon has occurred up until before the premiere of _iSaved Your Life_. As for this story's content, trust and betrayal are major themes, along with friendship, manipulation, and the battle between selflessness and selfishness. Enjoy - I appreciate all praise and constructive criticism from readers.

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><p>Feet shuffle. Doors slam shut. Silence grips the halls of Ridgeway High as another monotonous Monday begins with the sound of Principal Franklin over the intercom; Carly, Sam, and Freddie enter as he begins the daily announcements:<p>

"Good morning, Ridgeway! Today is Monday November 16th, 2009. It is a day seven in the schedule rotation. Students should already in homeroom - it is 8:15…"

"Looks like that's not happenin…" Sam said with a smirk. Carly and Freddie grunted in frustration as they stormed toward their lockers.

"What's the rush?" Sam asked nonchalantly.

"We're late, Sam! Unlike you, I am _not_ a truant!" Freddie declared.

"Calm down _Freddifer_. It's not my fault we're late!"

"Yeah it is!" Carly snapped. "You drove us here!"

"So! Freddie's the one who wanted to buy breakfast on the way!"

"Excuse _me_, Sam! If I'm not mistaken you– "

"Stop!" Carly cried. The feuding duo paused and redirected their undivided attention to Carly, both demanding an explanation for interrupting their budding argument.

"Guys! Could we just calm down and try to listen to the announcements?"

"Why?" Sam snorted, with Freddie following suit.

"I don't know, maybe we'll hear something interesting. You never know!"

"I doubt it…" Freddie muttered.

"Shh!" Carly ordered.

"…In other news, congratulations to the math team for their spectacular performance in their first meet of the year. Fredward Benson led the meet in scoring with 14 points…"

"Nerd!" Sam chortled. Carly giggled too, albeit with some guilt. Freddie shrugged off the girls' teasing and led the trio appropriately to math class.

"To conclude, please also be sure to give a warm welcome to Missy Robinson, who has completed her six month tenure on the School at Sea trip. Have a great day, Ridgeway. Study hard and prosper!"

Sam choked on her latte, drops flying out of her uncapped _Skybucks_ cup. Carly froze in bewilderment, while Freddie spun around to see his friends' faces.

"It's been six months?" Carly cried.

"Maybe we'll hear something interesting…" Sam spat, mocking Carly's suggestion mere moments before.

"It's not her fault she's back, _Sam_. We just heard about the inevitable..." Freddie stated objectively.

"Why do you always take _her_ side?" Sam whined.

"You have a tendency to be wrong, rude, and brash, that's all" Freddie said with a grin. Folding his arms, he watched in delight as Sam seethed with rage by his suggestion.

"Four words. Moving picture experts group!" Sam said with confidence. She then pointed to Freddie's bicep and winked to remind him of a fair lost bet from long ago.

"That was a fluke!"

"2,718!" Sam cried.

"I guessed the number of fatcakes right too!"

"Guessed? More like calculated! What loser can't find the area of a sphere?"

"It was a _cylinder_!" Freddie corrected, taking the error personally.

"Does it matter?" Sam reasoned.

"Not now, I guess. Point is, you got lucky in the contest" Freddie finished.

"Nope. Mama's got skill. She _knows_ her fatcakes"

"Could we just head to class?" Carly whined, unwilling to tolerate another verbal skirmish between her two best friends. Shrugging, Sam and Freddie listlessly followed her into Mr. Howard's Geometry and Algebra II class.

"Shay! Benson!" Mr. Howard boomed. "It appears you two are tardy for my class"

"Sorry sir…" the two exclaimed simultaneously. The two exchanged glances and looked towards the floor.

"Well, considering you don't believe punctuality is an integral part of the learning experience, I'm afraid I'm going to have to give you each detention!"

"What?" Carly pouted.

"No!" Freddie objected.

"Well, perhaps I'll spare your worthless hides if one of you could convert 300 degrees for me into radians in less than five seconds!" Mr. Howard challenged.

"Five seconds? Wait what?" Carly questioned. Her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion as she tried to make sense of his demand when Freddie answered confidently:

"5 pi over 3 radians"

Shocked, Mr. Howard's mouth dropped subtly in amazement. Stiffening up, he gave Freddie a far more 'difficult' question.

"Sine squared x, cotangent squared x, divided by one minus sin squared x, all minus one!"

"Uh…" Freddie started. He tilted his head and stared towards his shoes as he mentally simplified the expression. Carly looked on in great awe and greater confusion; Sam had already disappeared.

"Well, Mr. Howard. The expression simplifies to zero. Just like you are"

"Wha? You...you insufferable know it all!" Mr. Howard muttered. Bowing his head in defeat, he motioned Freddie and Carly to their seats. Grinning and nodding in approval, Sam now seated in the back slowly applauded, and the class steadily followed her example until the room was rife with cheers, claps, and whistles.

"What? Puckett! When'd you get here?"

"What's it to ya?" she shot from her seat. "Based on your humiliating defeat at the hands of Benson, I'd say you haven't shown up either" she finished, pointing to her noggin.

Gritting his teeth, Mr. Howard's abandoned his air of professionalism as he resorted to petty insults:

"I hate you!" he shouted.

"Your wife hates you" Sam replied in kind, smiling at the thought of his miserable home life.

As the class once more erupted into a second fit of laughter, Mr. Howard slunk back from the front of the class to his desk. Waiting for his class to calm down, he resumed the lesson once all was quiet and for his sake avoided confrontation and questions without exception for the remainder of the period.

Using his forced passivity to his advantage, a confident Freddie slipped Sam a note:

_How'd you get to your desk without Howard noticing?_

Reading his note, Sam intently scrawled her message on the back of the folded scrap paper. Finished, she inconspicuously passed him the note:

_Luck. Skill. Or maybe the fact Howard was staring you down like a gazelle on the seregenti._

Chuckling at Sam's simile, Freddie beamed and eventually tucked the note into his pocket and watched Howard fumble through the rest of the lesson, still shaken from his embarrassment at his and Sam's hands. Carly had gotten some subtle shots in too, politely correcting a vulnerable Howard whenever he made the slightest of mistakes. Before Freddie knew it, forty minutes flew, and at 9:10 the bell heralded the end of first period. As classes changed, Carly and Sam gave Freddie a friendly parting wave before heading downstairs to English. Returning the wave, Freddie smiled and proceeded to chemistry class on the third floor. Steps from the door, the bell rang indicating class had just begun.

"You're late" Mr. Ford remarked.

"Sorry, you see–" Freddie began apologetically.

"I already marked you absent, Benson. Take a seat."

"There's someone occupying my seat…" Freddie observed.

With a vacuous stare, Mr. Ford looked at Freddie's normal seat, and then slowly returned his gaze back at the boy. Shrugging his shoulders in indifference and mild frustration, he replied:

"Go take the seat in the back"

Nodding, Freddie clumsily forced his way to the back. Heaving his bag onto the ground, he sighed and retrieved his lab manual and homework. Staring towards the front, Freddie dosed off when he heard a female voice and felt a playful poke to the side.

"Hey Freddie" Missy remarked. She inched her seat closer towards him, much to his chagrin.

"Hi Missy" Freddie whispered in mild disgust.

"It was so nice of you to give me that trip – it's too bad I became horribly seasick" she noted.

"Quite sorry about that" Freddie snapped. Without another word, he shifted his attention to the back towards the front. To his detriment, Missy continued the conversation.

"Well, you couldn't have known about my seasickness. It's alright!"

"I'm glad that–"

"No talking" Mr. Ford declared, giving the pair a stern look. Missy, feigning shock, gave Freddie an expression of disapproval and promptly turned away from him.

Rolling his eyes, Freddie shifted his body to the right away from her. Lazily doodling away in the margins of his notes, he overheard the lesson plan for the day being delivered by his unenthusiastic professor.

"We're going to perform an experiment today that proves stoichiometric principles. You're going to need your manuals, a pencil, and a lab partner"

"Mr. Ford?" Freddie inquired. "I've got a question. You see, my table partner is seated with Gibby at the moment?"

"I don't understand how's that's a question…"

"It's not. You see - I just - I'm not exactly sure who my partner is –"

"You're partners with Missy" he noted, motioning towards her with his cold uncaring eyes. Delighted with his decision, Missy beamed and carried their combined materials into the lab across the hall. Defeated, Freddie dragged himself behind her and the class, pining for the period to end.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note_: Just another small addition and quick update to pull more readers into the tale. Granted, the exposition is slow, but the details within what I've written is key in future chapters. I plan to update on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for this story. Enjoy and review my good friends! Your praise and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

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><p>Once situated in the lab, each student took a seat adjacent with their partner. Equipped with thick plastic goggles and a thin blue instruction manual, Freddie flipped to page eight to read the instructions for the lab:<p>

"Aluminum metal reacts with hydrochloric acid to form hydrogen gas and an aluminum chloride solution" Freddie stated. "Step One: Mass out .25 grams of aluminum foil"

Nodding, Missy meticulously tore away at the provided foil and massed the piece, compensating for the tare.

"All set. What's next?" she beamed.

"Well, it's just a bunch of steps. All we gotta do now is predict the amount of products, and write the balanced equation for the reaction" Freddie said with gloom.

"Don't get discouraged – it's not that difficult" Missy justified. In cursive script, she wrote the equation for the reaction effortlessly in fin,e cursive script. Placing her purple pen down, she passed the lab sheet to Freddie.

"Correct?" she inquired. She knew full well it was correct.

Bewildered but intrigued by Missy's knowledge and grace, Freddie yearned to see more of her intellect:

"Impressive" Freddie noted. "You even noted the states of matter for each reactant and product"

"Just following directions" she explained. She grinned, sensing Freddie's subtle admiration of her academic potential.

"Say, uh, do you mind doing the rest of the molar conversions for the lab?" Freddie asked.

"Not at all. Just give me the numbers as you perform the reaction" she requested.

"With pleasure…" Freddie whispered. As he performed the experiment in silence, he felt his once powerful hate fleet away with the vapors from his flask. His focus faltered as he tried to comprehend the actions and gestures of girl he had yesterday regarded as a foe. Somehow she wasn't the girl she used to be – or was she?

Missy, meanwhile, had long finished the calculations for the experiment – she even took the liberty of filling out Freddie's report as well. Satisfied with her work, she scrutinized Freddie and sensed his distress, his confusion, his feelings. Grinning, she peered around the room to see all other pairs drastically behind in progress.

"That should do it" Freddie abruptly remarked, pushing the hot flask away with his pencil. He turned towards Missy and gave her an uneasy smile.

"That was easy!" she beamed.

"Yeah, I have to admit though, I figured it would take longer..." Freddie admitted sheepishly.

"Why so?"

"I figured you we would have been embroiled in an argument of sorts for the entire class. After all, we didn't exactly leave each other on good terms"

"That's true. I'm partially to blame for that"

"Wholly" he corrected.

"Okay, I'm _wholly_ responsible. When I came back last spring though, I only sought to rekindle my close friendship with Carly. I had the best of intentions."

"Sam didn't do _anything_ to you…" he reminded her, his bitterness returning.

"She was my adversary for Carly's attention. What I did was justified!" Missy defended.

"You _poisoned_ Sam. You _wrecked_ her phone. You gave her a false address!" Freddie declared.

"Terrible things to do, no?"

"Of course those are terrible things to do!" Freddie boomed, attracting the attention of nearby students.

"You do realize Sam has done all of those callous acts to you, at one time or another. What makes her wrongs less than mine?"

"The intention" Freddie declared. "Her acts weren't malicious"

"Honestly?" Missy replied incredulously. "I'll admit the frequency of my acts were closer together, but you can't possibly say Sam's pranks with you were, are, and will be well-intentioned"

Freddie, intrigued yet revolted at her suggestions, fell silent as he heard her out.

"She sent your phone to Cambodia. That had to have been rough" Missy commented.

"Phones are expendable" Freddie spat, still staunchly defending Sam's sinister tendencies.

"Perhaps for some, but not for you" Missy stated. "You had to sacrifice your entire allowance to purchase a new phone. All two hundred and thirty nine dollars."

"How do you even know this?" Freddie said in shock. His shoulders shot up in distress and his visage was one of terror. The girl knew him too well.

"Carly told me all about you when I came back last spring – that is – before I went away" Missy explained.

Freddie, now with his faith shaken in Carly, bit his lip and looked away from Missy. If he couldn't confide in Carly about his small allowance and embarrassing home life, he reasoned, then he had nobody he could trust. Sam wouldn't care to listen to his problems on a consistent basis. Disturbed at this notion, he decided to keep his troubles a secret from that moment forward.

"Typical…" Freddie murmured, still grappling with the reality Missy knew his life inside and out.

"I don't mean to incite any ill will between you three though. I'm just pointing out I'm not as devious as you, or Sam, might have perceived me to be."

Finished with her argument, she turned away from Freddie and focused on a glass plate resting in front of her. Daintily, she ran her finger in small circles through the crystals, while waiting for Freddie's reply.

"I guess not. Sorry about everything" Freddie conceded.

Before Missy could reply, the bell rang signaling the end of second period. As the class cleared the lab, she left him with a few parting words signaling they would meet again:

"I'll see you later Freddie" she beamed.

Collecting her belongings, she flung her bag onto her back and flirtatiously ran her finger across Freddie's forearm. Winking, she strode off, with Freddie's eyes watching on in great admiration and greater distress.

Things certainly weren't going to be the same. As he stiffly filed out of class, he frowned at the thought of Carly. His best friend spilled his secrets. Of the two girls though, he reasoned, it seemed she was the lesser of two problems he would need to contend with in the near future.

"Those blondes..." Freddie whispered silently.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note_: The Wednesday Update for my story! For those who are reading along, enjoy and please review! Your following is appreciated as always. My other work, _Sister Struggles_, is still being written and revised - I'll have the fully completed version up in segments as soon as possible!

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><p>Third and fourth period passed without much consequence. As the bell rang again signaling sophomores to go to lunch, Freddie mindlessly emptied his textbooks into his locker. Carly and Sam changed books at the end of lunch and as such had already secured seats in cafeteria, now filling up with hungry students.<p>

As Freddie closed his locker and walked downstairs, he began to scratch his forearm harder. He had been scratching it throughout his computer science class, but he hadn't really given the itch much thought. Stopping short of the cafeteria, Freddie scratched some more and gritted his teeth together in frustration. He dug his short coarse nails into his forearm, scratching away until his now scarlet coarse skin cracked and peeled.

For the first time in his life, Freddie valued his mother's doting ways. Digging into the depths of his bag, he found a tube of clear unopened ointment between broken pencils and scrap paper. The label read it was intended for burns, lacerations, cuts, and any other form of harm imaginable to one's skin. Chuckling at its many uses, Freddie tore the cover off, broke the seal, and lathered a liberal amount on his skin.

The ointment stung and his skin soon went numb, much to his relief.

Willing to settle for slimy numb skin, Freddie found his friends already half finished with their lunch inside the cafeteria:

"Hey Freddie!" Carly chimed, patting the seat adjacent to her.

While the rest greeted him, Sam stared at the globs of translucent ointment on his forearm and the tube still in his hand. With her mind inundated with lewd thoughts, Sam mercilessly teased Freddie as he sat down.

"Where were you?" Sam demanded.

"Oh, yeah, I was just –" Freddie began.

"Didn't miss me too much in two class periods, did you?" she snickered, pointing to the ointment still lathered on his forearm and fingers.

"No?" Freddie replied, with earnest confusion. Carly grimaced and slammed her palm into her forehead, knowing well Freddie was in for serious embarrassment. Gibby laughed at Sam's insinuation, while the rest of the table grinned, pointed and snickered.

"You pervert…" Wendy whispered.

Finally grasping Sam's lusty suggestion, Freddie began to shout:

"No! _No_! Oh god! Come on, Sam!"

Knowing her job was finished, Sam ignored his exclamation and finished her lunch listening to the sounds of kids laughing or muttering in disgust at Freddie. Carly sighed and managed to have the table become calm with many hand gestures and pleads to be kind.

"My arm got itchy guys, alright?" he said in disgust. "I put some ointment on to ease the itch. Why else would I have so much on my arm on purpose anyways?" he reasoned.

"I don't know, you tell us, you sick, sick _boy_" Sam teased.

Frowning, he came to realization Sam must have set him up:

"You set me up!" he wailed in great desperation.

"Actually…" Sam started. "I didn't. You did yourself in on this one, Benson!"

Quietly unpacking his bagged lunch, Freddie muttered to himself:

"Like anyone would miss a monster like you…"

Hearing his whisper, Sam looked away and frowned in great disappointment. She hadn't gotten the thrill of embarrassing him in days – she simply felt guilty and now was no exception. Refusing to apologize, Sam simply decided to include Freddie in a lighter conversation.

"So Fredweird. Have you seen Missy yet?"

"Actually, yeah I have..." Freddie replied.

"Was she evil as ever? I bet she gave you hard time!" Carly interjected.

"To be honest, she was pretty nice" Freddie admitted. Seeing the girls' shock, he took a bite into his sandwich and chewed contently.

"Uh, Earth to Freddie? That girl isn't nice. Don't buy her tricks for second!" Sam warned, still taken aback from Freddie's reply.

Freddie scoffed.

"She sure is nicer than you are" Freddie mumbled with the food in his mouth.

A pandemonium of gasps filled the air around the trio - the mounting tension was palpable in the air. The entire table and the ones adjacent to it grew uncharacteristically silent as students listened to another budding argument between Sam and Freddie:

"Uh, excuse me? You're calling that prissy phone-wrecking beast nicer than _me_?" she cried.

"Yeah, I am. What are you going to do about it?" he boomed.

Slamming her fist onto the table, Sam snatched her iced tea with her free hand and flung the open bottle towards Freddie. In a flash, Freddie was doused in iced tea; his clothes to the waist up were soiled. Without another word, Sam rose and stormed out of the cafeteria, being sure to grab her things.

"You're going to just walk away?" Freddie taunted. He rose from his seat and threw his arms in the air in frustration.

Stopping, but not switching direction, Sam replied:

"I didn't think you'd ever say that…"

Unable to discern Sam had been severely hurt in finding Missy kinder than Sam, Freddie shrugged his shoulders and worsened matters.

"You don't even know what I've done for you! " Freddie cried.

"All _you've_ done is made my life worse than it is!" she declared.

"You? What about _my_ life?" Freddie demanded, but his question went unanswered as Sam exited through the double doors into the hallways.

Upon her exit, all eyes fixated on Freddie. Mr. Devlin, the lunch proctor, twiddled his thumbs and stood quietly in the corner by the vending machines. He didn't dare interfere with argument, and was visibly surprised and somewhat frightened at the fight's spontaneity. He hadn't seen a fight quite like this one.

As Freddie stood, frozen by fear and plagued by indecision, Carly eyes expressed tacit disapproval of Freddie's behavior. Her eyes alone suggested he had gone too far and now he had to fix matters with Sam. Still standing, Freddie hobbled over to the trash with his soiled lunch and grabbed a handful amount of napkins. Dabbing himself, he promptly threw the wet napkins out and departed as his peers flooded the room with whispers. Carly remained quiet while juicy gossip leapt from mouth to mouth, table to table, wondering when the feuds between her friends would ever end.

Once outside the cafeteria, Freddie searched for Sam but luck had led him to Missy first. Unable to avoid a conversation, Freddie initiated a friendly greeting as he saw her leave the front office.

"Hey Missy. I didn't see you at lunch today!" he started.

"Oh, hey Freddie! I had to skip lunch to see Principal Franklin. Did I miss anything?" she inquired.

"Nothing too important" Freddie lied. He pinched and shook the collar of polo, still moist from Sam's iced tea.

"I see…" she replied, looking at Freddie's stained shirt with undying curiosity.

Embarrassed, Freddie blushed and shifted the focus of their conversation to the manila envelope Missy was pressing into her chest.

"What's in that envelope there? It's awfully thick" he noted.

"Oh what, this?" she replied, looking down at it. "It's six packets of makeup work – one for each class"

"That's brutal!" Freddie exclaimed.

"I know, right? I think I'll be able to handle it though" she replied. She shot Freddie another smile that expressed her collected and confident state.

"Wish I could say the same if I were you" Freddie replied in awe. He knew inwardly he could, but he couldn't help but compliment a girl of his academic caliber. Carly was studious, but she lacked the natural flair for learning that he knew he possessed. It's what distinguished him from the smart ones try hard, and the smart ones who try little.

"I'm certain you could. You're no slouch" she commented. Freddie laughed, evidently flattered.

"That I'm not!" he noted, giving her a playful grin.

Pleased with his now friendly demeanor, Missy parted her hair and knew she could now make a request without receiving much resistance. He played into her hands, although she couldn't help but fall under his charm as well.

"Of course. Could you do me a favor though?" she asked politely.

"What does the favor entail?" he replied.

"It's not one favor, really" she began. "It involves a series of them, much like a plan. You think you're up to it?" she teased.

"Well, I'm up for anything" Freddie replied with bravado. "You might owe me one though!"

"You haven't even heard the terms!" she exclaimed.

"I said _might_!" he noted. "Tell me, what do you need me to do?"

"Well, if it isn't too hard, could you help me repair my relationship with Carly and Sam? I realize the latter might be impossible to fix, but I'd like to both their friends"

"Why them? You could make others" he reasoned.

"True, but you know why. I was rude to them both and I want to apologize. Besides, I wouldn't have the chance if I tried on my own time to apologize"

"That's true…" Freddie admitted. He questioned her motives, but nonetheless allowed her to continue again:

"Ultimately, I was really hoping the four of us could be good friends, if you don't mind the idea"

"I don't" Freddie stated plainly. "Sam will object to your dream no matter what I say, do, or plead though"

"You really think so?"

"I know so"

"Hmm. We'll just have to find a way then to make matters work" she finished. As Freddie was about to object, however, Missy took her arm and wrapped it around Freddie's waist. Taken aback by her seductive maneuver, she continued to seed his mind with her visions of the future.

"Imagine us! Oh, we'd be like the four musketeers, the _closest _of friends. Not to mention of the four, you'd be the only man in our troupe"

Tantalized by her suggestion, Freddie swallowed his objections and kept his minor qualms to himself. Nodding in agreement, he stood at Missy's side and refused to part from her. He hadn't felt so empowered and inspired for as long as he could remember. As the idea consumed his thoughts, Missy left him with some parting words.

"Don't dwell too much on it" she teased. "If you work hard enough, it'll be real before you know it" she stated. Sliding away, she strode upstairs and out of sight.

Freddie stood idly in the hall as he reluctantly returned to reality.


	4. Chapter 4

Students flooded the halls as two thirty rolled around on a dreary Monday afternoon. Exiting history last, Freddie stood outside the door eying Sam and Carly at their lockers across the hall. To the unaided eye, the two seemed calm as ever. The keener eye, however, would see Sam hadn't fully shrugged off the events at lunch yet. Carly was equally upset, but better at masking her true feelings.

Freddie decided it was best to avoid the two at the moment, although he hadn't forgotten Missy's request either. Her plan would be a tall order for him to fulfill, and he knew he could only discuss Missy when they were separate. Of the two, Carly would be the easier of the two to sway.

Fortunately for him, Sam stormed away from Carly, leaving her alone at her locker. Pleased with his timing, he seized the chance to talk to Carly in private:

"Hey Carly!" he greeted.

Turning towards him, she gave him a mild frown before responding to his cheerful greeting.

"Hi Freddie" she stated.

Sensing disappointment, Freddie spoke apologetically in hopes of capturing her attention:

"Look, I know I was wrong Carly. I didn't think what I said was that bad, but I'm sorry!" he began. Carly only glared at him as he spoke. Shrugging her shoulders, she lightened up as she replied:

"Shouldn't you be telling this to Sam?" she stated.

"I should, but I feel the time isn't right…" Freddie admitted. "I want her to know I'm sorry – saying it immediately robs my apology of its sincerity"

"Well, if you mean it, I'm sure she'll take it. It doesn't really matter though…"

"What doesn't matter?" Freddie asked.

"Saying you're sorry doesn't take back what you did!" she snapped. She couldn't help but remember dispensing that very same line with Sam.

Freddie remained quiet, just as Sam did when Carly scolded her.

"I guess I should do something?" Freddie abruptly suggested.

"Probably. You really hurt her feelings, you know. I guess it's hard for you guys to know when to call it quits, but saying Missy is actually nicer than Sam is – that's harsh"

"I can explain!" Freddie defended.

"Start explaining then…" Carly muttered. "It's a long walk from here to Bushwell"

"We're walking?"

"Spencer's car is broken, he used the back left tire for his new sculpture, remember?"

"Oh" Freddie replied.

"Yeah…" Carly replied.

Then, there was silence. At this point, Freddie knew well he had to select his words with the utmost care; it was a twenty five minute walk from Ridgeway to their apartment on the West End. Leading Carly outside, he began his lengthy explanation with a sigh. He peered towards the darkening sky as he searched for a sentence to start. Looking back down at Carly, he began to best of his ability:

"I didn't have the chance to say it at lunch, but I had chemistry with Missy today"

Carly continued walking.

"As fate would have it, I wasn't partners with Gibby as usual – someone took my seat because I was late. Mr. Ford, not caring about his students, made me partner with Missy for our lab today"

Carly now listened intently as she walked with Freddie, although she feigned indifference. Inwardly, she felt relieved Freddie had an explanation, but she feared his answers would invariably lead to more questions:

"I figured Missy was going to ruin the class for me, but she didn't. She helped me finish the experiment before everyone"

"She's smart…" Carly muttered, remembering her former best friend's skills.

"Well I didn't know that!" Freddie countered.

"Just continue" Carly muttered.

"Since she's smart, we finished our experiment before everybody. That gave us the chance to talk, although I didn't really have a desire to say anything"

"What _did_ you say?" Carly interrupted.

"Not much, compared to her" Freddie answered. "Missy made me question my relationship with Sam though. She raised some interesting points I never really gave much thought until now"

"Freddie! You were only talking to her for ten minutes! How can your relationship with Sam be shaken in ten minutes?" Carly exclaimed, visibly disappointed in her friend.

"Excuse me Carly!" Freddie snapped. "You can't say you're much better! Of us three, you're the one who's in love with a new guy on a biweekly basis!"

Carly immediately looked down in shame, realizing she was a hypocrite if she accused Freddie of being extraordinarily fickle. She had a tendency to drift from boy to boy, although she knew she was fiercely loyal to her truest friends. Unwilling to argue with Freddie on the matter, she allowed Freddie to continue without further interruption.

"So as I was saying, Missy made me wonder how Sam feels about me. I didn't think much of her words once she left, but they seemed all the more true when Sam humiliated me in front of hundreds of kids today at lunch…"

"What were her words, Freddie?" Carly requested.

"I – I don't remember exactly" Freddie admitted. "She said something along the lines that Sam's pranks and words weren't, aren't, and will never be well intentioned"

Nodding, Carly didn't say a word. She herself wondered why Sam resorted to such cruel ways to capture Freddie's attention. Sam wasn't like most girls though – she was the epitome of an enigma.

"Do you know why Sam teases me so much? Pranks me? Injures me…" he asked in desperation.

"I can't speak for her" Carly said with wonder. "I think it's just ingrained her nature"

"That's all then – there's no other motive?" Freddie asked, seeking conformation.

"I don't know. I wouldn't lie to you"

"You wouldn't?"

"Of course not! You remember our pact about no secrets, don't you?"

"Yeah, I remember…" Freddie grumbled, still uneasy with the concept.

Stopping at the intersection, Carly poked the crosswalk button and froze as she asked Freddie a question that had loomed in her mind for months:

"How was your kiss, Freddie?"

Freddie felt a sharp clench in his gut. Closing his eyes he searched his mind for a respectable response. Carly, still waiting for traffic to clear, put forth another question in the same tone:

"Did you like it?"

Freddie inhaled and bit his upper lip. He was split. He liked it, but honesty had its consequences. Sam would certainly be even angrier at him if Carly knew how he felt about it when she herself did not – as if such a prospect were possible at the moment. Lying meant betraying his best friend's trust – a friend who had seldom lied to him.

Sadly, but surely, integrity lost.

"I don't know. It…felt strange" Freddie mumbled.

"Excuse me?"

"I said I thought it felt strange!" Freddie stammered. He shivered as the lie spilled forth from his mouth; he trembled at the thought of Sam hearing his blatant lie.

Carly, suspicious and silent, stared vacantly at Freddie. She sensed deceit. Yet, she knew Freddie to be a boy of integrity – he wouldn't lie twice. Trusting his word, she struggled for her own as she tried to address him.

"Why didn't you tell me how you felt?"

"I don't know Carly" he admitted. "Sam and I promised to keep it a secret, and I didn't want to betray her trust. I did what I had to do."

Carly smiled. People filed by her and Freddie as they crossed the street to Bushwell. Above, the skies were now awash with gray billowy storm clouds. In a flash, a golden bolt leapt across the horizon, accompanied by a sharp crackle and boom. Small droplets started falling on pedestrians, now scrambling inside to avoid the impending storm.

"Why are you smiling?" Freddie asked.

"You care about Sam. More than you know" Carly chimed. She turned around and crossed with the throng of pedestrians across the street, leaving Freddie alone in the rain.

Clumsily trailing behind, Freddie jogged a few steps forward and clutched Carly's wrist.

"Wait, how would you know better than I do how I feel?"

"Because I'm not you, Freddie" Carly replied cleverly. Relinquishing his grasp, Freddie stayed silent and followed Carly into the lobby. Their discussion had just begun.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note<em>: Notes moved to bottom as I don't want them to really interfere the story anymore - more professional this way anyhow. This chapter is a bit of filler, or rather, the first part of a longer chapter that has some interesting consequences. Freddie's lie will have repercussions, and how will he discuss the topic of Missy with Carly? Why did Sam storm away from Carly in the beginning anyways? It's just getting started - keep your eyes peeled. Please read and review, as your feedback is always greatly appreciated!

Best regards,

thewritershand.


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